A former British soldier wanted by Kenyan authorities appeared in a London court after being arrested in connection with the alleged murder of a woman near a UK army training camp in the East African country more than a dozen years ago.
In September Kenya issued an arrest warrant and requested the extradition of a British citizen over the murder of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru near a UK army training camp in 2012, a case which has strained relations between the two countries.
Wanjiru was found in a septic tank at the Lion’s Court Hotel in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki in 2012, having last been seen at the hotel with a group of British soldiers.
A Kenyan magistrate concluded in an inquest in 2019 that she had been murdered by the soldiers, and in September Kenya made a formal request to extradite a suspect.
Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said the suspect was a former soldier who was arrested on Thursday by specialist officers after the warrant was issued.
“Robert James Purkiss, 38, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today for extradition proceedings to begin,” the NCA said.
He was remanded into custody until his next appearance at the same court on November 14.
The delay in securing justice has sparked outrage in Kenya, with Wanjiru’s family and rights groups arguing that the killers were being shielded by a defence cooperation agreement that complicates prosecution of British soldiers training in Kenya.
Wanjiru, the single mother of a then four-month-old baby, was beaten and stabbed, and was probably still alive when she was thrown into the septic tank, a magistrate said in the 2019 inquest report.
Asked for comment on the case on Friday, a British government spokesman told Reuters: “It would be inappropriate to comment while there are ongoing legal proceedings.”
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in September it remained committed to helping Wanjiru’s family secure justice.
A Kenyan High Court in September 2025 issued an arrest warrant for the British national suspected of the murder.
Wanjiru was killed in March 2012 and her body later found in a septic tank of a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening partying with British soldiers.
Justice Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to request that the suspect appear before a Kenyan court for trial.
The lawyer representing Wanjiru’s family, Kamau Mbiu, said the ruling paved the way for proceedings to start for the suspect’s extradition from the UK.
“We welcome it, but we urge greater transparency, as this remains a matter of public interest,” Mr Mbiu said.
The judge directed that the identities of the accused and witnesses not be published, saying this was necessary in order to protect the integrity of the trial.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has previously said it is co-operating with a Kenyan investigation into the case, which has caused outrage in the East African nation.
The family of Ms Wanjiru, who left behind a young daughter, have long been fighting for justice.
They live in Nanyuki, which is close to the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) – some 200 kilometers north of the capital, Nairobi.
The prosecution told the court that witnesses currently based in the UK would be made available for the trial, ensuring that it could proceed.
By Agencies
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